Population: the forgotten priority

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I was pleasantly surprised to see this article, which raises an issue
I have been contemplating for some time that seems to be conspicuously
overlooked in current politics. While climate change dominates many
present environmental agendas, the intimately connected matter of human
overpopulation is seldom given a mention. My view is that the notion of
there being âsimply too many of usâ is a step beyond our moral comfort
zone â a taboo that, while many people would agree to be true, no-one in
authority dares to speak of in frank enough terms. More fundamentally, I
also believe that the huge mass of human life on Earth is the root of the
major global problems we are encountering. Indeed, if humans had not
inhabited the planet so abundantly, the environmental crises we now face
would not exist: manâs success is his own misfortune. However, one of the
characteristics that makes humans distinct from other animals is having
the benefit of reproductive choice. No other species has evolved to use
contraception. I therefore welcome a widening of the political debate to
include this fundamentally important issue, and address it head on â
breaking the taboo of overpopulation.